Metal Gear Solid: Project Moonlight
by Serpent's soldats
Summary: Something I have worked on for a long time. I have reached the end but all 7 chapters are currently in revision. I am releasing only the revised portion(1,2, and part of 3). Reviews are encouraged, both positive and negative. I only ask that they be of critique and not pointless "I don't like". Thank you.
1. Chapters 1

**Chapter One**

**The Abandoned Warehouse**

03:20. a cloud-covered sky; no moon to cast any unwanted shadows that could betray the operative's moves. The ground was still wet from the previous evening showers, which had fallen more heavily on the minuscule remote island off the coast of Finland, far from the capitals harbor yet still within sight of the Tuomiokirkko Cathedral.

Moving stealthily, the operative's back pressed firmly along a tainted wall of what was supposedly an abandoned warehouse. Winds howled from outside the building, whistling as it squeezed through broken windows and holes of the weather-worn roof. The warehouse itself had been abandoned several years ago. According to official documentation, the place had been shut down after a group of black arms dealers were caught using it to smuggle weapons into Finland. The walls were weak and a demolition was scheduled; yet it never came. Intelligence had suggested an under-the-red-tape proceeding was taking place there.

One glance around the corner laid to rest all hunches the operative's partner had had prior to his arrival on the island. As a man wearing a long white lab coat carrying a fairly hefty briefcase crossed his field of vision, another man decked out in full BDU (Battle Dress Uniform) stepped out from behind a pillar. The operative kept low watching closely as the two men headed toward the same point, meeting outside a large cargo container 60 feet from his position. Watching, from the shadows, the operative honed in listening as the soldier was the first to speak; his words were faint, hard to hear clearly. Taking one step closer, the light that flickered from the bulb above hit his once-shadowed figure, revealing a portion of himself as he attempted to listen in closer.

"-ourse I know, everyone on site knows about it." The man's response to the soldier was defensive, as if he believed his intelligence to have been in question. The man was short, middle aged, average weight with a slim face and short hair.

"Well, I was instructed to inform all personnel at this location of what the situation is." As the two men had engaged in conversation, the operative contemplated his entrance strategy but kept an eye on the cargo container where they stood. The soldier in front and to the left of the cargo doors wore a balaclava; this made it impossible for any facial recognition to be sent back to HQ. Turning back to study both men, the operative focused his attention on the scientist who began looking around wildly, forcing the operative to recede behind the damaged wall. "What are you doing?" asked the soldier.

"I thought I heard something." The man replied before the soldier added, "no doubt it's those damn rats again. Here, let me get you in here so I can continue my sweep." Remaining silent, and with caution, the operative once again peered around the corner.

"Of course. Sorry, next time I shan't take so long." The man said regretfully before the soldier stepped over to the cargo doors, removing a panel located to the right and under a large painted number three; a small screen and key pad came into sight. The soldier again spoke as he entered in a code, "How long do you thing we have to be here?"

"Don't worry. Not too much longer. We're almost done and good thing too, this place is a crap hole."

The operative watched as the soldier removed his glove and placed his palm upon the screen. Within seconds, the large door was opened and the scientist had stepped on through, with the soldier immediately locking it from the outside. As the operative pulled back once again behind the wall for cover, he wondered what the soldier had meant when he said "this location." Could there be more than one? He made a quick check to ensure that the coast was clear, and then with one forearm resting on his knee, he placed two fingers to his ear. With the use of his codec, he punched in frequency 141.12. "Hal, do you read me? Come in." The answer came from HQ, and the same man responsible for the Intel that had led the operative to his current location. "I'm here. So, how are you liking the use of your new codec?"

The operative couldn't complain, given the bulkiness of his last equipment, "It beats wearing a headset, that's for sure." Hal began to give a brief introduction to the device, "The Codec stands for compression/decompression." Though the operative could care less on how his equipment worked technologically, the operative hated to interrupt Hal whilst he explained his gadgets, since it would only offend him, "In this case, it basically allows for a high-fidelity audio signal to transmit with a minimum number of bit rates, while retaining its quality. Thus allowing us to miniaturize the device and use it in the field."

"Got it. I was a little irritated with the inner ears receiver at first."

"Yes, this Codec is a little older than the ones we're used to, and sorry but no nanomachines this time. We just don't have the funding we used to, not to mention with the new SOP system in place…" the operative butted in finishing Hal's sentence. "We don't know the nanos' origin, right! Besides, you know me, I like to do things old school, just like in New York, remember?" There was no enthusiasm from Hal what so ever, nor any intention to bring up that topic; only silence filled the airwaves. The operative continued, "I've already spotted some activity. Hal, your Intel was pretty damn solid after all."

"Oh! Really! What have you seen?" Hal spoke with surprised interest, as if he had expected the operative to come up empty-handed.

"A sentry, using a biometric scanner attached to a cargo door, allowing a scientist to enter. Though I'm surprised you'd send me all the way out here on such little information," the operative answered.

"Well, in these times we shouldn't rule anything out, not to mention this intelligence came from a previously reliable source. So any give on what they're doing there, exactly?"

"No but I'll contact you the moment I'm inside." With that said, the transmission was ended and he turned back to scan for the soldier's current position. Having now left the position by the cargo doors, the soldier had carried on with his sweep. The operative spotted a shadow as it moved along the warehouse's left interior wall, northwest of the operatives position "That must be him!" he thought to himself before the shadow disappeared behind yet another cargo container. Weapon at the ready, he stepped on through the hole in the wall and made his way in the same direction as the soldier. Checking each opening for the enemy, the operative came to a halt next to a small pile of boxes. Kneeling, he picked one up and turned the box to find a label marked "LIVE TISSUE" and underneath that, "WARNING KEEP REFRIGERATED." The boxes were now empty, as a few of them lay collapsed on the floor and the temperature was nothing suitable for the storage of live organs. The operative stood, ready to press on after the soldier, when suddenly the sound of debris sandwiched between the cemented floor and a rubber sole was heard from behind. The approaching boots became louder as they headed right for his position.

Seconds away, even in this dim light the second soldier would spot him for sure. The only way to evade would be to conceal himself, but where? A few seconds would not be enough time. The soldier was almost upon him; but the soldier stopped a mere two feet away and turned back to face from whence he came. Unaware of the operatives' presence, he scanned the area and then continued onward with his routine check of the perimeter.

The operative carefully removed the box from which he'd hidden under and began to prey upon the soldier as he moved away. Treading carefully, the operative removed his M9 from its holster as he closed in. To his amusement the soldier wore headphones, the operative could hear the music blearing from the ear buds. A smirk dressed the operatives face as he holstered his weapon and removed his knife from its sheath. Once directly behind the soldier, he clasped onto his uniform from around his shoulder with his right hand, knocking one of the ear buds out from his ear. Simultaneously, the operative brought the knife in and up to press upon the soldiers throat "Not a sound," he whispered to the exposed ear. The soldier complied as he allowed the operative to pull him back toward the pile of boxes, struggling occasionally, only to have the hold tightened each time. The knife was spun around in the operative's hand as he immediately applied a sleeper hold; again the soldier struggled but with a few more jolts of his neck the struggling ceased, along with his consciousness. The soldier was now unconscious and his body hidden amongst the boxes out of sight. Before pressing onward the operative stripped the soldier's gun and inventory of all his ammo, discarding them inside a box that lay open, for any reason he'd wake before the operative entered the facility.

Looking down at the unconscious soldier, the operative could tell he was the same one he'd seen earlier, the one who'd opened the cargo container for the scientist; scanning his surroundings for any give on the first soldier's location, the operative decided to head in the same direction he'd last seen him. Coming up to the far left of the building, the operative pressed himself firmly against another cargo container and began to peer around the corner. The operative's hunch was right, as the soldier had begun walking back, his attention was elsewhere as he continued on his rounds. Stepping away from the containers edge, the operative crouched down, concealing himself within a shadow, a shadow cast by the container itself. As the sound of approaching boots became louder, the operative stayed poised awaiting the unsuspected soldier to enter within view. As the soldier stepped past the cargo container, coming within view, he stopped suddenly, startled as he felt the barrel of a 9mm silenced pistol press up against his back. "FREEZE!" said the operative as the soldier's arms flew up, "Please don't shoot" cried the soldier.

"I won't if you give me what I came here for." The operative began to carefully tread around the soldier, pulling of his balaclava to see his face. The man was tall, short blonde hair with stubble and brown eyes, he expressed little fear and had surely been in a situation similar to this before. "What's your name and what are you doing here?"

"Jacob. Jacob Sears and I couldn't tell you."

The gun rose to Sears's head, forcing him to look down the barrel. "That's not what I want to hear, Jacob"

"OK, OK" Sears said trying event harder to compose himself, "look, all I know is that they asked me to wear this uniform and patrol this area"

"What! You're civilian?" the operative was shocked; nothing made sense. "That's right" replied Sears as he then began to explain his involvement and how he came to be in his current position.

The operative began to piece what he could together, starting with Sears's M16A2; the operative knew that sort of assault rifle was standard U.S Army issue and not that of the U.S Marines, as Sears was dressed. "But your employer doesn't appear to be type to make a mistake," he pointed out, interrupting Sears. Sears ignored this, he had no answer for the operative, but instead continued, "they shipped a bunch of us off a few weeks ago, said something about a cleanup, I'm really not sure what or where though. Here they've been running tests and processing newly found data, well, that's what Robert told me any way."

"The one you spoke to just a while ago outside the cargo container doors?" The operative watched as Sears gave a look of surprise, his eyes widened as he thought back to that moment. Robert had been looking around for something and now he knew what. The operative continued, "So does Robert have a last name?"

"Swinsells."

"You guys must talk to each other, what else has he let slip?"

"All he's told me is that they're attempting to fuse together live organs with robot mechanics… some kind of SciFi shit if you ask me." Sears watched as the operative took a second to process the information, lowering his gun slightly, as if he'd heard of something similar before. "Is that all? There's nothing else?" the operative asked as he again raised his weapon to Sears's eye level. Sears in turn raised his hands as high as he could. "It is. I swear."

"I believe you" the operative said as he looked down at Sears's rifle. "Your weapon, hand it over." The operative demanded, giving Sears the hand gesture for him to pass it over. Sears reluctantly complied, slowly taking hold of the strap with one hand and removing it from around his neck. "No ID lock!" said the operative softly to himself as he examined the weapon. This made sense as the two guards were posing as military personnel, and supposedly in training.

The two shortly found themselves outside the main cargo container numbered three, which held the door lock to enter. "What else do you want from me? I've told you all I know." Asked Sears as he became nervous, wondering what might become of him. "You did and I believe you. However, I need you to get me through that cargo's door."

"You know what they'll do to me for letting you in! And besides, you'll just…" the operative interrupted Sears, "put your lights out! Trust me; your survival is best laid in my hands." Sears shot the operative a puzzled look as he thought momentarily about his situation before giving his response, "I don't see how I win in that!"

"You live, that should be all the motivation you need" the operative stepped back from the panel allowing Sears room to use the keypad, "Well… go on then" he added.

Sears stepped up to the panel, removing it to use the keypad that sat behind and punching in a six digit code. The operative couldn't help but wonder what the six digit code could mean, his thoughts dissipated as the door locks turned and the door opened, leaving it ajar. The gun lowered to face Sears's chest, "Thought you were going to let me go" Sears pleaded.

"I can't have you running around now can I."

The operative wasn't sure why but felt it only right to help this one, "this will only put you to sleep. Then I'll come back for you once I'm done, I promise". Watching again in amusement as Sears's eyes grew, realizing his life could not have been in imminent danger until he himself had relinquished his own weapon, "HUH! You mean…" the operative cut him off by firing his weapon. Sears looked down to witness the three inch dart standing from his chest above his heart, his speech slurred and his vision became a blur. Within seconds the operative caught him on his descent to the ground. Holstering his weapon, the operative dragged Sears out of sight, laying his body close to the other soldier, stripping him too of his ammo and discarding them with in a box close by. The operative laid Sears's now empty weapon down beside him, although the rifle was ID tag free, the sound given off by its discharge would be enough to alert the surrounding enemies. Once again the operative found himself in front of the cargo container's door; drawing his weapon he slowly slipped inside, closing the door behind him.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

**Confirmation**

Inside the container, the operative scanned the dimly lit interior, only a staircase leading down stood several feet from his position. Stepping to one side and sinking to one knee, he placed his hand over his ear and contacted headquarters through codec. "Hal, do you read me? I made it inside."

"That's great Sna…" Hal interrupted himself "Uh, Pliskin." This was the operative's codename, it was self given and held much history; when there was no response from Pliskin, Hal proceeded to apologize. "Sorry, I was just speaking to…" Again Hal failed to finish his sentence. "Never mind."

"How's he doing?" Pliskin asked, enquiring on his partner's progress. His answer was disappointing. "Not good I'm afraid. His contact turned out to be a dead end, but he's still waiting to hear back from Nastasha. Quite frankly I think she's still a little mad for us dragging her back into all of this. So how are things on your end?"

"It's strange. I know it was naïve of me to think that each cargo container housed some kind of testing equipment or experiment, but all I see in here is a staircase."

"That is strange. Perhaps there are some predated blueprints that I over looked. I guess for now you'll just have to do things the hard way huh! Be careful Pliskin."

"Alright Hal, I'm headed down there now." Pliskin ended the call, equipped his M9, and then took the staircase down; entering what was clearly a facility capable of housing the enemy's operations. At the bottom of the staircase Pliskin pressed against the wall to his right, peering out down a hallway in each direction. The hall stretched out approximately 50ft in both directions from where he stood: the ceiling stood 12ft high, the walls were bright white but were well worn with dirt and scuff marks, everything was well lit and visible. "Which way?" Pliskin asked himself before deciding to go right. Pliskin's first step was interrupted by a sudden call via codec; pulling back out of sight, he answered. "Pliskin. I got it, I'm sending you the data now." surprised Hal managed to acquire the information so quickly; he hastily pulled out his PDA and studied the map on his display. The facility appeared to extend past the warehouse that sat above ground, with nine rooms that sat similar to a grid like formation, though the room at the northwest corner extended further, attaching onto yet another room, a room close to the shore line, presumably used for the loading and unloading of boats or trucks. It now made more sense to Pliskin that the largest room of the whole facility would have been used by the arms dealers for loading, unloading and general storage of their weapons. "What am I looking for exactly Hal?"

"You see the northwest room at the far back?"

"Yeah. I see it."

"I know a room that size would be used for the super computers. That's where you'll find all their major test data, and from there you can upload the information onto the drive I gave you."

"Right, I'll contact you once I'm…" Pliskin was interrupted by there was a sound of approaching footsteps traveling in his general direction from the left. "Wait." Pliskin added before quickly stepping over to the left wall by the stairs he'd used to enter the facility. Again Pliskin pressed his body as flat as he could up against the wall; keeping away from the wall's edge he waited for the footsteps to pass the corner. The closer they came, the clearer the speech was to make out. "…an intruder." Their words startled Pliskin as he braced for confrontation, wondering if he was the intruder they spoke of. Taking yet another step back from the walls edge, he lowered his body slightly and continued to listen in closely, not knowing which one was speaking. "I thought the base in Botswana was well hidden!" These words relieved Pliskin as he realized it was not him but another elswhere. Pliskin continued to listen.

"Obviously not. Did I tell you they shipped me there three months ago?"

"Yes but you never told me why they brought you here or how you know the base had been compromised."

"Oh, right. Well I was talking to the guard in the surveillance room as he was watching it."

"As it happened?"

"No, that's the thing. The guard had a copy of the footage, he said it was being used to study the enemy; the intruder looked like some kind of one man army with a sword." The two men now stepped past the wall; the first man was of average build, stood about 6ft tall, and in Pliskin's personal opinion, had ridiculously long sideburns. The second man furthest from Pliskin was plump, bald, and shorter than the other, he was also clearly the older of the two Neither would be a real threat if Pliskin had to go toe to toe with them but in such an enclosed space, it would only take one to yell out loud enough for the echo to reach someone nearby.

Pliskin acted swiftly, coming up behind them, delivering a well-executed blow to the tall man's temple from the base of his M9, and dropping him in an instant. With one arm, slowing the man's fall, Pliskin's right hand and gun, straightened out to face the plump scientist. The plump scientist threw himself backwards up against the wall, raising his hands high. "Move him," Pliskin demanded. "Over there." he added as he pointed toward a spot out of sight under the staircase from where he'd just come.

Lugging his friend under the staircase, the plump scientist kept his eyes to the floor until his friend was hidden away. The plump scientist slowly turned around, bring his eyes level with Pliskin's. The man appeared tense but not afraid; his initial shock was gone as he asked Pliskin of his intensions. Pliskin responded in a calm manner that mirrored the man before him. "Nothing if you tell me exactly what's going on down here."

"I had a feeling someone like you would come, especially after hearing about that intruder in Botswana." The man's head tilted slightly as he shot Pliskin a curious look of intrigue, "So who are you? Who do you work for?" The man gave no time for answers as his voice grew louder with surprise. "Are you with the La Li Lu…" Pliskin immediately interrupted. "Silence." he said low and firmly, closing the gap between them in a threatening manner, "I'm under no orders but my own. Consider me a philanthropist," Pliskin's choice of words corresponded with an anti-Metal-Gear group known as Philanthropy, a group he had joined a year ago. "Who are you? And keep your voice down; I won't hesitate to drop you if it means keeping you quiet."

"I understand," the plump scientist responded respectfully, in a reassuring manner. After a slight pause the man continued, "I'm one of the lead engineers here at this so called facility." the plump scientist's hands went up with a shrug as if he were unimpressed with the venue of choice. "The name's Kasimir Benchoff."

"And what about this intruder you two were talking about?"

"I don't know exactly, it was somewhere in Botswana, South Africa. There are a few places of operation much like this one; the footage is being reviewed in the surveillance room just down the corridor to your right. Make your first left and it'll be the first room on your left." Recalling the blueprints on his PDA, Pliskin made a quick mental map using the directions he'd just received. "OK, got it. Now tell me a little more on why you are here?" Benchoff puffed up his chest before answering "Me! I'm here because I'm one of the leading scientists in Bipedal robotics on the Eastern seaboard and no doubt the other side of the Pacific." Benchoff's words were prideful as he spoke of his profession.

"That's an impressive resume and one hell of an ego to go with it. So again, why are you here? What are you researching?"

"I can't say exactly what their end goals are; I haven't been granted that kind of clearance. I can tell you about what they have me working on. They brought me in for my work on Biobots."

"Biobots?" Pliskin had never heard this term before.

"Yes, that's right. They're bringing in some truly remarkable minds from all over the globe for the development of this new type of weaponry, codenamed Moonlight."

"Moonlight! Who are these people?"

"Even I haven't met the head honcho, but the use and secrecy of this facility is with the agreement of Finland's Prime Minister. I did however meet his right-hand-man, a frightful looking fellow who flew in only to leave shortly after his arrival several weeks ago. Romanian I believe, has long hair, and is always carrying knives with him on his left forearm. I had heard he used to work with an anti-terrorist group but didn't catch his name." With no name, Pliskin dismissed any further questions about the man and continued his query into Benchoff's research, "What exactly are these Biobots?"

"Biobots is a basic term used for machines with the ability to learn and adapt much like living organisms do. I was to design the center piece, the brain if you will."

"That's it?" Pliskin began to grow impatient with the man's uninformative answers.

"There's nothing else you can tell me?" Hearing the unpleasant tone from Pliskin, Benchoff became agitated as he watched Pliskin's finger flex ever so slightly on the trigger. "Wait!" he said desperately, with a tremble in his voice. "We've been working off another man's research, an engineer who a few believe to have died during the incident of the coast of the Alaskan archipelago several years ago." Pliskin didn't like what he heard; knowing full well the type of weapon Benchoff spoke of, it's only known code name Rex, Metal Gear Rex. Rex was a nuclear bipedal tank fully equipped with 30mm Vulcan cannons and used a magnetic rail gun capable of launching a nuclear stealth missile from any place or terrain on earth. Rex was a top secret government funded prototype, a black project led by the ArmsTech Corporation located at a nuclear weapons disposal facility in Alaska. The project was scrapped several years ago after six members of an elite unit turned rogue tried to hijack the newly developed tank, and failed. This incident lead to the destruction of Rex and caused the death of five of the six rogue members. The last one to survive later on carried out the sinking of a tanker two years later, an orchestrated event killing countless U.S marines and Russian hired army lives.

"Metal Gear!" where the only two words to come out of Pliskin's mouth as Benchoff continued. "That's right; we were all instructed to give this new model the ability to recognize thy friend from foe."

"WHAT? You mean to tell me you've given this fully arsenal armored walking death-mobile a brain?" Exasperated, Pliskin moved his M9 from his right hand and into his left, before gripped Benchoff by the scruff of his collar, pulling him in close. "Why? Have you learned nothing of what these machines can do?" Benchoff looked into the Pliskin's enraged eyes, throwing back his shoulder for Pliskin's hand to release its grasp. "Of course…" Again his words filled up with pride. "ArmsTech won't make the same mistakes twice. I'm fully aware of the capabilities of these machines, That is why I am here, to ensure that the United States maintains its place as the dominant super power amongst the Big Three and see them into a New World Order. War is becoming more frequent with new technologies on the rise every day: for this reason alone we scientists are needed. We can stop it; only by staying vigilant can we prevent ourselves from being overcome by our enemies." Pliskin shook off what he believed to be nothing more than mere psychobabble, caring nor believing in any of it, "A very well-rehearsed speech, but your wrong; I, myself, and those loyal to our cause can and will put an end to all this."

"Are you mad? It's not just Governments and military anymore, since the fall of the western economy, its businesses and corporations too. All looking too profit from the next big war." Pliskin was defiant to the idea "I'm not interested in their gain, nor will I just sit back and let that happen." Once again he grabbed Benchoff by the collar, "Tell what the organs are for."

"Organs? What are you talking about?" Pliskin became irate, his facial expression portraying his exact emotion as he pressed the M9's muzzle up against the side of Benchoff's head, "you know damn well what I'm talking about. I found empty boxes just outside the entrance, pretty careless if you ask me."

"Oh yes that." Benchoff once again held fear in his words. "I can't help you there for that isn't my department. But I do know the guy in charge. That shipment came in with him a month ago."

"WHO? I need a name."

"James… James Thompson, He's the one in charge of the stem cell research lab at the room east of this facility, that one and the central room where they store most of their work. It won't do you any good though."

"Why's that?" Pliskin interrupted, his patience wearing ever more thinly. Benchoff slowly turned his head as he continued "because he's the one you just took out and had me drag under the stairs."

"Damn." There was a loud sound near Benchoff's left ear that made him jump, immediately followed by a sharp pain in his neck. Instantly throwing his arm up, Benchoff hastily pulled out a syringe fired from Pliskin's M9; his eyes widened as he faced Pliskin right before the room fell into darkness. Pliskin caught Benchoff before he hit the ground, though out frustration he wanted nothing more than to simply allow Benchoff to fall to the ground. Rising to his feet Pliskin noticed the other man move and quickly knelt back down beside him hoping he might come too. Grabbing the once again motionless body, Pliskin pulled him in close before speaking with a calm yet forceful tone, "JAMES, WAKE UP! TELL ME WHAT'S GOING ON HERE." Pliskin received no response, Thompson remained laying, still unconscious; Pliskin shook him wildly repeating his question; Thompson's eyelids opened slightly but only to reveal his eyes as they rolled back before closing again, obviously still out cold Pliskin released the man's jacket out of frustration allowing for his head to collide with the floor. A call came through by codec and Hal was quick to speak, "Pliskin, what happened?" he asked, his tone filled with worry.

"I ran into a couple of scientists; they're sleeping now."

"Oh! Find out anything?"

"Not much in terms of solid information but I believe they're working on a new prototype much like the Army's Rex"

"REX! But the information leaked out into the black market didn't consist of Rex's structural engineering. That kind of information would need to come straight from the optical disk and that disk ended up in the hands of…"

"I know, but one of the head scientists just told me they were working on a new type of weaponry capable of artificial thought to defend the U.S. But it doesn't make sense. If all this was legit then why here and why all the secrecy?" The two were momentarily silent as they consider alternate possibilities; Hal had by now been swept away by the tide of memories from his past. Pliskin had only heard about Hals involvement in the project all those years ago, never-the-less it was hard for him to stand by while his friend filled up with self-pity. "Just more scientists being used in a political race for power. I was used…" Pliskin could tell Hal was becoming quite distressed as he continued to listen to Hal's rambling "I believed I was creating Rex for the benefit of mankind but all along I was helping money hungry businesses like ArmsTech and our very own power-seeking President to gain a further illusion of stability and dominance over their enemies."

"Hal you need to calm down. I need you with me in this. We can't afford for your mind to be elsewhere right now. My life is on the line." Pliskin's words were just as effective as if he'd slapped Hal in the face to sober him up. "Yes you're right," Hal took a deep breath before he spoke again. "Well without further information, it's just too early to tell. What's your status on the main lab? Are you close?"

"No, there's something I need to check out first, but Hal, these halls are far too lit for me to move around freely. It may take a little longer than expected."

"Where is the scientist now?" Looking down at the two as they lay unconscious, Pliskin answered with a hint of sarcasm. "He and his buddy are catching up on some well deserves Zees right next to me."

"Good. Pliskin you'd best disguise yourself as one of the scientists," Pliskin couldn't quite believe what Hal was asking him to do, "Don't really think I could pass as one of them," he replied looking down studying the two.

"Trust me; there'll be so many in and out of that place they won't even realize you're not supposed to be there."

"All right, sure hope you're right about this. I'll contact you once I've reached the large room at the end of the far North West corridor, Pliskin out." Looking at the two scientists that lay beside him, it was obvious which jacket would be a better fit. After slipping on the lab coat, Pliskin headed for the surveillance room turning both corners expecting confrontation, only to find nothing. No one seemed to be around and he found it a little suspicious though ignored the feeling as he found himself front of the door marked "Surveillance Room" where the laughter of a man could be heard just on the other side. Standing in front of the door Pliskin took a brief moment to ponder his entrance strategy, though he knew a decision would have to be made quickly as he wasn't willing to get caught staring down a door handle. His next moves were calm and casual as he equipped his M9, concealed it under his coat before turning the handle and quietly slipping inside.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

**The other intruder**

A middle age man sat in a swivel chair with his feet up on the console, holding a hot cup of coffee as he viewed the monitor above him. Pliskin's eyes followed the man's gaze toward the monitor mounted on the wall to his left, witnessing the footage Thompson and Benchoff had previously been discussing. Pliskin removed his M9 from under his coat and raised it up to the man's carotid artery, giving a quick squeeze of the trigger. Pliskin moved quickly, holstering his weapon while simultaneously catching the cup of coffee with his left hand on the cup's descent. Pliskin placed his right hand over the man's mouth for a brief moment in case he had a little consciousness left in him as the cup was placed on a nearby counter. A brief moment of shock flooded the man's face before every muscle in his body relaxed, and his arms swung as they fell from the chair's armrests. Pliskin turned back to view the monitor as the footage played, the camera angles changed making it obvious it was pre-recorded and edited for further study.

The footage showed a guard stationary in front of a pair of hanger doors. From what Pliskin could tell through the grainy footage, the door was made of steel and the camera faced the outside of a weather-warn brick building. A second guard came within view, casually making his way past the first before coming to a halt, turning back to face the first. The first then looked up and began to pull something small from inside his jacket pocket. Both guards met in the middle as the first lit a cigarette followed by the second, each taking a few drags before beginning to converse with one another. Suddenly both guards began scanning their surrounding area as if a noise could be heard, simultaneously tossing their cigarettes to the ground and readying their weapons; turning slightly to their left, they began firing toward something out of sight from the security camera. The firing became wild as their aim stretched across their line of vision; eventually coming to a halt as a third guard came running into view.

Once again each guard began scanning their surroundings when from above the surveillance camera a shadowy figure fell to the ground. Now within the cameras focus Pliskin was able to make out what appeared to be an armored soldier with a sword. In a diagonal motion the armored soldier sliced through the second guard the instant he touched the floor. The first guard stood to the armored soldiers left and received a kick to the temple as the armored soldier simultaneously thrust his sword to the right, piercing the third through the chest; all executed swiftly with great precision, well before any guard could get in a blow of their own. Now that all the guards had been eliminated, the armored soldier casually turned and walked toward the facilities entrance door. Reaching out for the handle, the armored soldier suddenly paused as two more guards approached within view, holding their guns to the armored soldier's back, as if to demand surrender. The armored soldier slowly turned to face them; there was yet another pause and Pliskin watched in anticipation when the guard closest to the armored soldier was suddenly pulled in to be used as a shield. The guard now hostage tried to break free, swinging elbows and kicks in a frantic attempt to loosen the armored soldier's grip. The guard's efforts were useless and the armored soldier reached out, seizing the man's weapon, letting out an array of fire upon to the guard's surrounding comrades. Bullets began to fly back and forth, one particular guard after being shot went down firing, and his bullets flew wildly hitting the camera multiple times sending it offline.

The footage switched to an internal camera set somewhere within the bases walls, this left Pliskin looking at an aftermath of a shootout, and from what he could tell there were five bodies that lay motionless on a grated surface with steam from all angles; more than likely the boiler room Pliskin though to himself. Four more soldiers entered the room, the first kneeling down to check their now deceased comrades for any sign of life. Once their deaths were confirmed they pressed on, presumably in the direction of the very same armored soldier seen in the previous footage. These men didn't look nor move like imposters, although their uniform was one he did not recognize, Pliskin knew they were the real deal. Pliskin continued to observe the monitor as the four soldiers on screen made their way out of sight; once again the footage changed to a secondary camera, this time overlooking a connecting hall with a door at the far end as it opened. The same four soldiers entered the hall cautiously making their way down with their weapons at the ready as they surveyed the area. Peering down their sights, each of the four soldiers were poised when all of a sudden the armored soldier, now covered head to toe in his enemies blood, casually stepped into view. The armored soldier had come from the right of the surveillance camera; firstly looking at an object he held in his hand before slowly turning his gaze up the elongated hall where four soldiers had now positioned themselves ready to exchange fire…

There was a knock from the other side of the surveillance room door; Pliskin averted his eyes as the door began to open. Reaching over to the unconscious guard, Pliskin pulled out the tranquilizer dart from his neck as he heard a man call out. "Donald are you in here?" The man who entered was average height, roughly a hundred-sixty pounds, with short salt-n-peppered hair, and wore thick framed bifocal glasses; Pliskin gave him a halfhearted smile, followed by an upward nod as to greet him. "What are you doing in here?" The man asked with curiously just before glancing over to see his friend slouched in a chair; looking back at Pliskin, he continued. "…and why is Donald like that?" his words filled with concern.

"No need to worry, he's just fallen asleep, that's all." Pliskin replied as he raised the coffee he'd previously caught, holding it chest high, adding "he asked me to grab him a cup of coffee because he was feeling tired but I guess I didn't make it back in time."

"Well it certainly looks that way." Pliskin joined the man in a slight chuckle before the man had yet another question. "So who are you? I don't mean to sound bad-mannered, it's just that I haven't seen you around before, what do you do?"

"Of course not…" Pliskin managed to recall what he had learned on the mission so far and put what he could together in the hopes of making it sound convincing "I was transferred over here from Botswana after they were having troubles in the Stem cell department".

"Oh so you're James. Funny, I pictured someone different. Well come with me then, I have a few people I'd like to introduce you to and some test data I'd like to run by you as well."

"Of course." Pliskin stepped forward with a plan in mind to eliminate the man quietly, unaware is lab coat had brushed over the chair's armrest revealing his holster and the handle of his gun. "You're no scientist." the man shouted turning for the door, ready to race down the hall yelling out to alert the enemy; but before he could clasp the handle Pliskin had released the cup, leaped forward and grabbed the man by his clothing. The cup exploded over the floor as the man was yanked backward, pulled in to the clutches of Pliskin. Fear quickly overcame the man causing him to panic; he began kicking and yelling, knocking off his own glasses in a desperate attempt to break free. "Quiet." Pliskin said as he put his arm around the man's neck and a hand over his mouth; this only caused him to become even more frantic. "I said quiet." Pliskin continued in an unruffled tone, whispering into the man's ear closest to him. "Calm down. I'll let you go once you stop trying to shout and break free." Pliskin's attempts to calm the man were no use, the man tried calling out through the small gaps of Pliskin's fingers as he scrapped and clawed at Pliskin's face. Pliskin became impatient as a nail dug deep into his lower eyelid; with one diagonal thrust of the man's head, all became still. The man buckled in Pliskin's arms as he proceeded to scan the room for a suitable place to hide the now lifeless body. To the right of the room stood two beaten lockers, the exposed metal had begun to rust, neither of them had a lock. Stuffing the body inside one of them as best he could Pliskin turned and stepped back to view the monitor. The armored soldier was now walking over four dead bodies toward the door at the end of the corridor, "How did he evade those four soldiers and all that gunfire?" Pliskin asked himself, realizing he was watching the same footage just before his interruption. Pliskin knelt down and punched Hal's frequency into his codec, "Hal do you read me?"

"I read you Pliskin, have you reached the northwest room?"

"No but I have something that should be of interest to you, video footage of a soldier fully decked out in body armor with a sword, much like that cyborg ninja you described once before."

"Are you sure?" Hal's tone seemed a little skeptic though he was much intrigued to hear more. "I'm sure" Pliskin responded, adding "He moved like nothing I've seen before, took out a fleet of soldiers with ease."

"Maybe so but that couldn't be the same person. Olga Gurlukovich was the one to don the exoskeleton and undertook the role of the ninja during the big shell incident." Pliskin was unsure of what to make of such a comment but pressed on with the conversation "Then who could it be?"

"Unsure but not Olga, She died saving the life of her child."

"Sunny!" Sunny was the name of Olga's child who was taken from her at birth by a secret organization known as The Patriots, this was right after she almost went down with a US marine occupied tanker. The very same tanker she and her Russian comrades had tried to hijack, resulting in a double cross that lead to the loss of many of Olga's friends and family, those of which included the life of her farther Sergei Gurlukovich. Sunny was eventually rescued from her captors thanks to Raiden, a former unaware Patriot operative who tracked her down with a promise to Olga that he, Hal, and his friends would care for her.

"Right so if not her then what do you suppose his agenda could be? Do you suppose he could be after the same thing we are?"

"No idea but I'll look into it. Is there a way for you to send me the footage?"

"Unfortunately not, I'll have to bring back the hardcopy with me"

"Alright then, just make it back it one piece." Hal signed off as Pliskin stood. Reaching over to the DVD player, pressing the eject button. Pliskin pulled out the disk and placed it in his pocket located over his left breast before buttoning up the lab coat. Pliskin took a quick glance around the room noticing a clipboard on the side cabinet; by picking it up he was hopeful to have no more unexpected exposure of his weapon, using it to cover the slight bulge. Cautiously opening the door ajar to peer out into the hall, Pliskin checked to see that the coast was clear. Once he was sure all was clear he pressed on through the door and began a steady pace down the hall, this time with all traces of his inventory concealed.

Three men turned the corner at the far end of the hall as Pliskin pressed on, straightening his posture, and keeping the clipboard covering the bulge just below his hip. Passing the three men, Pliskin received a halfhearted smile with a nod of acknowledgment that he returned in kind. He listened in to their conversation as the space between them grew; hearing only partial sentences as the voices began to dimmer. Pliskin overheard something mentioned about the three men entering a cold room, the study of some particular cells, scrubbing up before touching new pieces, and a failed test in the main lab. As Pliskin glanced backward he saw one man with a folder in his right hand pointing towards where they had just came from and his left arm outstretched ushering the other two down another hallway on their right, most likely heading for the central room. After making a left at the end of the corridor, Pliskin found himself staring down a wall where there was to be a door leading into the northwest room, but there was none. Pliskin muttered a semi-loud "DAMN!" then made a call his partner via codec, looking at his clipboard to give of the impression he may just be reading his notes. "What's up Pliskin?" Hal asked.

"The entry door to the northwest room is gone, they've plastered over it"

"Oh!" was all Hal could say being just as shocked as Pliskin "I guess these blueprints were made a while back."

"Or they've just recently made a new addition!" Pliskin looked to his left down the hall to witness a man in a lab coat step through an automatic door that seemed to now connect the northwest and west rooms. Seeing this Pliskin relayed the information back to his partner. "I see the entrance; it's been moved to the middle of the west and the northwest room."

"Well you'd best get in there now then, before your made."

"Right" The transmission ended as Pliskin hastily made his way toward the door.

Pliskin found himself standing in front of the entrance that led to the connecting hall between the two rooms, by placing his foot in the doorway to prevent the door from closing, but stopped to check the signs. There was a diamond shaped warning on the door that read "WARNING AUTHORIZED PERSONEL ONLY" and a secondary warning "ALARM WILL BE IMMEDIATE" was written just below. Pliskin ceased from entering and withdrew his foot to allow for the door to close. Looking through the glass door Pliskin was able to spot a sensor mounted on the far left corner of the hallway; he knew things were never as easy as they appeared.

A call came in through Pliskin's codec, it was frequency 141.80, one he'd not come across before. He checked his surroundings to ensure the coast was clear, stepped away from the door, and with his free hand placed it over his ear to answer the call. "Halt Pliskin… DO NOT step through that door. That room is equipped with two thermal sensors mounted on each corner, both on the left side wall. Only authorized personnel equipped with a RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) chip are able to pass through without sounding the alarm." Pliskin was unsure exactly who it was he was talking to but felt it could not hurt to hear him out, and that he may hold some vital information; he pressed on with the conversation. "How do you know all this?"

"That's not important right now."

"Who is this?" Pliskin began to feel as if his leg was being pulled "You're not using burst transmission."

"Call me, Mr. X."

"From the big shell incident?"

"Fine, the Ripper."

"The Ripper? You're not very good with codenames are you! Can I trust you?"

"I'm neither enemy nor friend, just someone whose current interests has intertwined with you and your group". Not fully understanding what the stranger meant by his comment Pliskin allowed him to continue. "Pliskin, you need to gain access through that hall, but first you need to find some way to conceal your body temperature from the thermal sensors. Is there something, somewhere within that facility you can possibly use? Perhaps something that may be of some use to you?"

"I don't really know the layout of this place," just then Pliskin recalled the three scientists who were making their way to the cold room, "wait… I believe I know of a room."

"That's all I can do for now, you're on your own from here on out"

"NO WAIT!" The transmission ended and Pliskin was left curious and disgruntled as he instantly opened up another channel to HQ. "Hal I just got a call from some unknown character, calling himself The Ripper."

"I know Pliskin. I heard it all."

"Who do you suppose it could be and how'd he get this number?"

"I have no idea. This is a secure line, only those closely involved in this mission have access to your frequency."

"He mentioned something about a RFID chip to pass through the hallway on the other side of this door I'm standing in front of. He also told me the room's equipped with thermal sensors."

"Well I say we should trust him for now, being as he seems to know more about the recent layout of things. How, I don't know but as for the information he gave you, let me patch you through to a friend of mine, she'll know more about it than I do."

"Friend?" There was no reply from Hal; instead a voice of a young woman came through, the sound was static as Hal had to contact her by phone rather than patching her through on codec. "Hey Otacon it's good to hear from you."

"OTACON!" Pliskin hadn't heard anybody call Hal by that name before, Hal responded, a little embarrassed. "Uh yes, that's the alias I've used for myself since Shadow Moses. I had used another alias to get onboard the seals team 10 chopper, and later when you joined us onboard the Nomad I introduced myself using my real name. I guess I just never mentioned it to you because it was nice to hear my real name for a change"

"Oh!"

"Who's that?" Asked the young woman, Hal again made a quick response. "Yes as I was saying…" The two became silent to hear Hal speak "Pliskin meet Mei Ling. She was a huge help to Snake during the Shadow Moses incident 6 years ago. Mei Ling this is Curtis Iroquois Pliskin, he too helped us a few years ago with the Big Shell incident. Although he too wasn't there in person, He did allow for Snake to use his name, rank and position as an alias, as well as pulling some strings to get me on board the Seals team 10 Chopper, alongside world renowned bomb disposal man Peter Stillman. Shortly thereafter he left his newly found position to get back in the field by joining us onboard the Nomad". The Nomad was the name given to a C-17 Globemaster lll, it was Philanthropy's Head Quarters where they based all of their operations. Now that the three were formally introduced, Mei Ling proceeded with the conversation by moving it between herself and Pliskin. "Hi Curtis, it's a pleasure to speak with you. So what can I do for you both?"

"Same to you Mei Ling." there was a slight pause as Pliskin wondered if the face behind the call was equally as cute as the voice. "What can you tell me about RFID chips?"

"Put simply RFID stands for Radio Frequency Identification and generally they are used in a form of a card but there are other ways as well. The chip itself carries information; that information is relayed to a main computer which is then used to carry out all its functions. Whether it be to seal a security door behind personnel or to turn on and off lights as someone walks into a room. The information that is passed can vary from things like who that person is, their appearance, last time they were there, Their position within that particular branch and so forth. It might be possible for you to take someone's RFID chip if it's a loose object such as a card or ID badge but I can't say for sure it will work."

"Why's that?"

"Most RFID chips now come with a sensory device that allows the chip to stop functioning once they're separated from each other. This usually occurs after a certain distance or period of time."

"Right Got it."

"Well I hope I've been of some help to you two, and Otacon…" Mei Ling paused to ensure Hal was listening "Keep in touch more ok."

"Will do Mei Ling and thanks again." The phone hung up and Hal continued. "I believe I have an idea on how to get you through that hallway. If you had a cardboard box…" Pliskin immediately interrupted. "HAL that's ridiculous. Now if you have any other sane suggestions then I'm all ears" Hal thought for a moment when a second idea suddenly hit him, "You're still wearing that lab coat correct, that should be large enough to conceal your whole body", Pliskin had in mind his assumption of Hal's plan, "If you're suggesting I just waltz on through under my lab coat…"

"No I'm not, but this isn't a story in a book, there's not cool Hollywood scripted way to get through there. This is a stealth mission and I'm sorry but you'll have to use what you can. Is there somewhere you can soak and freeze it? If so then do so and I'll worry about the rest"

"The rest?"

"I'm going to hack into the system's controls, close the vents in that corridor and raise the temperature to Ninety-eight point Six degrees. The system won't be able to pick up the difference as long as your body temperature stays under Ninety-eight point Six."

"Then why would I need to freeze the coat?"

"Just because I raise the temperature, that doesn't make it a sure thing. If you move too suddenly and your core temperature rises, the sensor will pick up on your presence and alert every guard in the facility."

"Oh I got it. So the cover is basically for me to be able to move faster enough without being picked up on the thermal sensors."

"Exactly. Contact me as soon as you're done." Pliskin removed his hand from his ear, he was positive the room the three scientists were heading to earlier would have what he needed. Conveniently, the central room was located behind where he stood, with the entrance door positioned just a few paces to his left. Knowing full well the three men could still be inside Pliskin made sure the clipboard wasn't in his trigger hand before turning the door's handle.


End file.
